California DMV offices close four straight days over Thanksgiving 2026 and three at Christmas. Your expiration date does not move. Here is the penalty math.
Who needs a California smog check and who is exempt. The eight-year renewal line, the four-year sale line, and the $20 fee that replaces the test.
UCR 2027 registration opened October 1, 2026. Fees rose about 20 percent: $55 for 1 to 2 trucks up to $54,165. The bracket cliffs California fleets miss.
Mount Diablo gates open at 8 a.m. and close at sunset. $10 at North and South Gate, $6 at the staging areas, and one Sunday in October when cars are shut out.
Premium costs about 47 cents a gallon more than regular in California. What octane actually buys you, and the one word in your owner’s manual that decides it.
Pay your California registration online with your plate and the last 5 of your VIN. A card costs 1.95 percent. A bank account costs nothing. Here is why.
California boat registration renews by December 31 of every odd-numbered year. See current DMV vessel fees, the 50 percent late penalty, and how to renew.
The Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival runs October 17-18, 2026, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission free. The Main Street closures and where to actually park.
What white, green, yellow, red and blue curbs mean in California, plus the 20-foot crosswalk rule that applies even when the curb is not painted.
California fleets need a USDOT number before CHP will issue a CA number. The correct order, the forms, and the step DMV’s own pages never mention.
Never got your California DMV renewal notice? You still owe the fee on time. How to renew with just your plate and VIN, and what late penalties really cost.
California requires low-beam headlights whenever your wipers are running, plus 30 minutes after sunset. The distances, the fog rule, and the fix-it ticket.
California PZEV and TZEV cars carry a 10-year, 150,000-mile battery warranty, longer than the 8/100k most drivers quote. What covers a full EV, and what does not.
Yes. California requires two plates, front and rear, when DMV issued two. What a missing front plate costs, how the fix-it path works, and how to replace plates fast.
California is not charging per mile yet. The SB 339 pilot ended January 2025 and the report is due December 2026. EVs pay a flat $121 Road Improvement Fee.
R-1, R-2 and R-3 explained, plus the catch: Caltrans publishes three different R-1 definitions. What to carry, where chains get called, and the 25 mph limit.
Tule elk bugle at Tomales Point from August through October. The drive, the parking, the free entry, and what the park does not have out there.